Features

French Manor’s newest addition strives for the perfect flavor

French Manor’s newest addition strives for the perfect flavor

By Mary Therese Biebel mbiebel@timesleader.com
Features Writer

When Michael Langdon decided to use salt to bring out the sweetness of honeydew and cantaloupe last week, he didn’t reach for a shaker of plain old NaCl.

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This savory soup contains white-bean puree and vegetables ‘sweated’ in bacon renderings to ‘give them some backbone.’

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Chef Michael Langdon works hard to uphold high standards at the four-diamond French Manor Inn & Spa in Wayne County.

S. JOHN WILKIN photos/THE TIMES LEADER

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No, the new executive chef at the French Manor Inn & Spa in Wayne County decided the ideal, if not perfect, complement would be “chardonnay salt” that had been smoked over wood chips made from wine casks.

“Nothing is perfect,” the Plains Township native admitted. “But I’m always trying.”

In his quest for perfect flavor, the chef “sweats” vegetables in bacon renderings “to give them some backbone.”

He always uses dried beans, never canned, because to take that shortcut would be to surrender culinary control.

And, yes, he kills his own soft-shell crabs to ensure they’re fresh.

Langdon, 31, who started work at the French Manor just a few weeks ago, recently used all the above strategies as he prepared a four-course meal.

The repast began with an amuse bouche (French for “amuse the mouth”) of melons, prosciutto di Parma, aged balsamic vinegar, chardonnay-smoked salt and baby arugula.

Next up was a puree of Northern White beans with basil pistoli (the French version of pesto) and sherry, followed by a crispy, soft-shell crab and creamed corn graced with a touch of imported-from-Thailand Kafir lime.

The grande finale was a dish of hand-cut papardelle noodles with lemon thyme, a sauce made from veal stock that had simmered for days, blistered tomato and oyster, crimini and shiitake mushrooms.

“I try to hit all parts of the tongue, with salty, sweet, bitter and sour flavors,” Langdon said. “It’s all about balance.”

A graduate of Coughlin High School and the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts, Le Cordon Bleu, in Pittsburgh, Langdon honed his craft as sous chef at Smith & Wollensky steakhouses in Ohio and Florida.

In 2005, he accepted a post as sous chef and banquet chef at Brasserie Perrier in Philadelphia, which is owned by Chef George Perrier and considered a sister restaurant to Perrier’s other establishment, the famous Le Bec-Fin.

At Brasserie Perrier, Langdon maintained a “four-diamond” and “five-star” level of service and food quality for more than two and a half years.

More recently, he worked as assistant sous chef at the Glenmaura National Golf Club in Moosic, until the French Manor “snagged” him, as Bridget Logan Weber, director of marketing and sales, triumphantly reported in a press release.

Here, he is charged with the task of upholding the French Manor’s AAA four-diamond rating. To do that, he said, it’s important to be a team player.

“If there are dishes, I’ll jump in. I’ll sweep, I’ll mop, I’ll take care of garbage. I like to be the first in and last out.

“Everyone is important,” he continued. “If someone tells me, ‘I’m just a dishwasher,’ I’ll say, ‘No, you’re an important part of the team.’ ”

If one person on his 15-member team doesn’t show up, Langdon said, it affects everyone because the work has to be redistributed.

“You have to be really dedicated,” to be in charge of a kitchen, he said. “You have to be a businessman, a psychologist, a nutritionist and a motivator. As a leader, you have to be calm and focused, no matter what happens.”

Certain foods must come from outside the area, but whenever he can, Langdon is committed to buying local produce. That’s in keeping with The French Manor’s “green” decisions to construct its new spa using bamboo flooring, energy-efficient windows and eco-friendly paints.

The spa also has a salt-water pool, Logan Weber said, in which ultra-violet technology and table salt “chlorinate” the water in a gentle-to-the-skin, environmentally friendly way.

In another “green” decision, Langdon plans to grow culinary herbs at The French Manor, which is a stone chateau built on a 45-acre property atop Huckleberry Mountain. The area, near the borough of South Sterling, is also known as “Sherwood Forest.”

He’s been putting in some long hours but said he received permission in advance from his 5-year-old son, Ayden Michael, to take the new job. “He might want to be a chef someday himself,” Langdon said.

Langdon’s own affinity for food started early, when he watched his mother, Geraldine Matzel, make pierogies and his father, Donald Langdon, make pepper steaks with onions.

His first job was at a pizza place near his home, where he “washed dishes, made cold sandwiches and ran the deep fryer.”

“That’s where I learned the work-pace of a kitchen and how to be part of a team,” he said.

Nowadays, the food he makes is regal in comparison, yet he still strives for simplicity and a “rustic” kind of charm. And perfection.

Here is his recipe for soft-shell crabs and creamed corn.

SOFT SHELL CRABS AND CREAMED CORN

1 live, soft-shell crab per serving

4 ears corn

1/2 medium onion

4 cloves garlic

1/4 pound bacon

4 sprigs thyme

bay leaves (2 per serving)

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 pound butter

Salt and pepper, to taste

Render sliced bacon in a pan. Remove corn from cobs, chop onion and mince garlic. Add corn, onion and garlic to bacon and “sweat” the vegetables, heating them slowly on medium and letting them lose moisture. Add thyme, bay leaves and heavy cream; cook on low until the mix reduces by 80 percent. Blend in butter, salt and pepper. This will make the sauce.

Cleaning the crab is imperative. With scissors 1/8 inch behind face, snip off head. This is the most humane way, Langdon says. Lift both tips of the top of the shell and carefully remove the lungs, which are a light gray/translucent color.

Season crab lightly with salt and pepper or favorite seasoning and dip into flour. Saut� in pan with oil, on medium to high, about 2 minutes per side. Plate it with corn and sauce. Finish with 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted butter for flavor.

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